Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Welsh (Wesleyan) Methodist Connexion.
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Methodist Church is organised as a single Connexion, with an annual Conference, subdivided into Districts and Circuits of individual chapels. The name Welseyan Methodism is used to distinguish the church from Calvinistic Methodism (now the Presbyterian Church in Wales); the prefix Welsh denotes the language of preaching. In Wales, English- and Welsh-language Wesleyan churches were administered as separate Districts; each District was administered by a Committee; in 1892 this was re-named the District Synod. The organisation of Wesleyan Methodism in Wales started in 1800, when a Welsh Mission to Welsh speakers was launched, based in Ruthin, Denbighshire, although some chapels pre-date this. The District organisation in Wales has undergone a series of changes in structure and name: a single North Wales District was established in 1803 (Welsh); in 1817, this became the Second Welsh District, the First Welsh District being of English churches; in 1828, the Second Welsh District became the North Wales District again, and in South Wales a First District (English) and Second District (Welsh) were created. In 1860, the Second South Wales District became known as the South Wales District; in 1902 North Wales was divided into First and Second Districts (both Welsh); in the 20th century, these three Welsh Districts became known as the Welsh (Wesleyan) Methodist Connexion. In 1974, they were combined into a single Cymru District, alongside two English districts, for North Wales and South Wales. In 1899, a Welsh Assembly had been formed as a representative body of the three Welsh Districts. In 1974 a Council for Methodism in Wales was created, covering both English and Welsh Districts. The District and Circuit structure is important because many of the records were held by these bodies rather than the individual churches. The Circuit structure was often changed to reflect the levels of activity in an area, leading to many mergers and demergers. In addition to the established Circuits in Wales, there were Missions, some of which developed into Circuits; there were also Circuits of Welsh-language chapels in London, in Liverpool and Manchester, Lancashire, in Hanley, Staffordshire, Leeds, Yorkshire, and in Stockton-on-Tees, Durham.